When I found out in the spring that I was pregnant, the first thing I did was calculate my due date. The second thing I did was calculate how pregnant I would be in August. I had plans. I had a long list of hikes and mountains to climb this summer, including a multi-day backpacking […]

This year for my birthday all I wanted was to spend the day with my husband and go for a hike. We chose to go to Evergreen Mountain because it checks all of my pregnancy hike boxes, which is really just one: short. And, bonus, it’s a lookout! Double bonus: blueberries! We got lots of […]

Sauk Mountain 4.2 miles // 1200 feet elevation gain I first hiked to the top of Sauk Mountain solo back in 2013 as part of my quest to climb 30 peaks before I turned 30 years old. It quickly became one of my favorite hikes, so when I was thinking of places to take my […]

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is climb to lookouts. My first of this year was Kelly Butte on the July 4th weekend. My husband drove us to the trailhead through a meandering of forest roads and I was surprised at the chill in the air when I opened my car […]

There are so many great new releases to read this summer that I had to share a list. These are perfect for reading around the campfire. Enjoy and happy summer! Lab Girl by Hope Jahren I so loved visiting Hope Jahren’s world for just a little while. She is a renowned scientist who grew […]

Barclay Lake: 4.4 miles // 500 feet elevation gain It’s hard to go into the woods the same way after reading Phenomenal. Every leaf, chirp and rain drop seems like a force of nature, like if I pay attention enough I might feel the earth speaking to me through the souls of my boots, or […]

Deception Pass Headlands: 5.0 miles // 350 feet elevation gain I was surprised to find our biggest group yet on a cold and rainy Sunday. A few of us camped overnight at Bowman Bay and the others reported driving through heavy rain to meet us. But the group was armed with rain jackets and pack […]

I’ve done the drive so many times I could do it blindfolded. From Seattle, drive south on I-5 for a million hours and turn left at the Columbia River. A familiar whirl of wind envelopes me like I’ve entered a wind tunnel into the past. The gorge is filled with history. The formation itself is […]

North of Hope by Shannon Huffman Polson Shannon Polson bravely shares her story of grief and healing in the wilderness of Alaska. After her parents are killed by a grizzly bear on a river in the far reaches of Alaska, Polson searches for ways to heal. She turns to the music and the wilderness […]

What do you say when a friend calls and asks if you want to climb Mt Whitney with her? You say yes. You don’t think about how high it is, how long the trail is, the dangerous weather or snow conditions. You just say yes. Absolutely, yes. It was 2013 and I was working on […]